Fear and Courage
by DevilWolf 9
Summary: One Shot. Sgt.Tibbs is feeling depressed about his fear getting the best of him and thinks of himself a coward. What happens if a certain Aristocratic Feline tries to cheer him up? Read/Review, No Flames.


**ARRRRRRooooooooooo!**

**DevilWolf 9 in the house! **

**I decided to take a bit of a break from my other stories to share this lil' one-shot that wouldn't leave my head,**

**We all know from 101 Dalmations was scared and jumpy. Fearful of whatever seems dark and scary or of the most simpliest things, he begins to think of himself as a coward. What happens if a certain aristocratic feline tries to cheer him up?**

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A brown, scruffy cat laid his head on the table he was seated, watching all the usual patrons of the House of Mouse pass on by. Some he recognized and some he noticed were new, he was well acquainted with Princesses Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, and Tiana.

He listened to all the same sounds that he's gotten used to, Disney villains going over plans to defeat each of their own respective hero, Timon and Pumba's bickering, the pleasant conversations of the Disney princesses, Donald greeting the the guests and so on. Of all the places he has gone, the House of Mouse was his favorite place to go. Whether it be from a hard day of work with the Colonel or just to enjoy the evening.

Tibbs looked down at the saucer of water he ordered not long ago and stared at his reflection. He frowned. He's been going through a lot in his mind right now. The thoughts kept tugging at his mind and kept asking himself the same question;_ Is a coward all I'll ever be?_

It wouldn't surprise him if it did. To those who don't know him, Tibbs was never the "Courageous" type, he was always jumpy at even the most best of times, he would even flinch at the slightest sound. Squeeze a droplet of water on his back and he'll stiffen with tension. Tap him while his back is turned and he'll start trembling before turning to face you.

Just a few minutes ago when he arrived into the club, Donald thought of playing a prank on the feline. Sneaking up behind him, the despicable duck quietly got closer and grabbed the young sergeant's tail, causing Tibbs to yowl loudly in fear and shoot up into the air. It was quite humiliating on account of Donald laughing like mad knowing his prank went perfectly, ignorant of the poor cat clinging on to the ceiling for dear life with his heart pounding rapidly.

Shaking off that embarrassing memory, Tibbs could only bury his face in between his paws and see his flaws as proof that no matter what, fear would always rule over his life. Always living in terror and never be able to experience a small amount of courage just to know how it felt.

"Is everything alright, Monsieur Tibbs?"

Perking his ears, Tibbs opened his eyes and looked up to see Duchess looking at him with a warm smile that would capture the heart of any male cat. Tibbs regained his posture, steady his beating heart and tried hide the heat rushing to his face that resulted in a blush. They met when his friend, Thomas O' Malley got mischievous and decided to play "Match-Maker" in order to get the young Sergeant out of his shell.

He also had a good bond with her three children as well, Marie, a small white kitten with pink bows that enjoyed rough housing with her brothers but also wanted to become a proper lady like her mother.

Berlioz, a small black kitten who was quiet, but kind and loyal at heart, Tibbs couldn't help but smile as Berlioz reminded him of himself when he was kitten.

Finally, there was Toulouse, a kitten with fur of orange and sported a blue bow tie, he could've sworn that the kitten was a miniature clone of O'Malley with his confident and laid back personality.

The trio were always happy to see him, they would often ask him for advice, ask him to play with them whenever they were bored, and always asked him to tell them his adventures with the Colonel and the Dalmatians. If one were to see the scene, they would have mistaken him as their father.

"I'm fine, Mademoiselle. It's nothing." Tibbs assured, she was the last person who he feared would think of him as a coward.

"Nothing, Monsieur Tibbs? You seemed depressed."

Tibbs sighed to himself and decided to tell her what was bothering him. It was no use hiding it, if she saw how he was dealing with his problem he was certain she was going to find out sooner or later.

"I'm . . . I'm just a coward." he started, closing his eyes as he continued, "I get frightened of almost every little thing while other heroes like Hercules, Aladdin and Tarzan have the courage to overcome anything and I have no courage whatsoever. Just knowing that one fact is enough to give me shame."

"Courage is resistance to fear, not absence of fear. We all become afraid."

Tibbs stayed silent. He knew that, but they weren't as afraid as he is.

"Tibbs, do you remember when you rescued the Dalmatian puppies from the Deville Manor when 15 of the puppies were kidnapped?"

Tibbs looked up, Of course! How could he have forgotten that? Tibbs nodded encouragingly before Duchess placed her paw onto his and looked into his eyes.

"Tibbs, if you were a coward, you wouldn't have risked your life to save them." She told him softly.

"I was so afraid . . . All I could think of was holding onto them as hard as I could and never letting them go to suffer what could've been the last moments of their lives." Tibbs remembered holding the Dalmatians close behind him when they were backed up to a corner by Cruella's goons before Pongo and Perdita came to the scene to get them out of there.

"If you were a coward, you could've ran. You could have saved yourself; leaving them behind to meet their end . . . but you didn't."

The brown cat blinked.

"Instead, you were willing to risk your own life just to save theirs. Bravery is about feeling fear but still being able to face it with the strength in your heart. You knew what you were getting yourself into and risked yourself to save someone in need." Duchess told him with a smile, "That's what I like about you."

The young Sergeant blushed as she gave him a kiss on the head.

"Those who know great fear, know great courage." Duchess told him before nuzzling Tibbs. "Never forget that."

Meanwhile, the two were being spied by Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse who were watching nearby underneath a table. Marie let out a happy sigh, "How romantic."

Berlioz turned to his brother with a large grin while saying, "See? I told you is gonna to be our new dad."

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**Aaaaaand, we're done! Thanks for reading and hope you all enjoyed it!**

**DevilWolf 9 out! (Disappears in a swirl of wind and leaves) **


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